Decorative lamp socket



April 16, 1935. J. w. BROOKS ET AL 1,997,716

DECORATIVE LAMP SOCKET Filed Jan. 6, 1952 3mm 2 M M22 Z M mm WfirakMPatented Apr. 16, 1935 PATENT OFFICE DECORATIVE LAMP SOCKET John W.Brooks and Mark N. Russell, Syracuse,

N. Y., assignors to Pass & Seymour, Inc., Syracuse, N. Y., a corporationof New York Application January 6, 1932, Serial No. 585,130

7 Claims. (Cl. 173-340) This invention relates to lamp receptacles orsockets and particularly to what is generally known as decorative lampsockets.

Itis a general object of the present invention to provide a novel andimproved decorative lamp socket.

, More particularly, it is an object of the invention to provide a.decorative lamp socket in which a cap is attached manually without theuse of tools and is automatically locked against removal. An importantfeature of the invention resides in the provision of a decorative lampsocket in which the capis applied to the base by relative rotation ofthe parts and in which an interposed member is provided which can be sopositioned as to securely lock the parts together permanently when theyare once assembled or which can be rendered ineffective so that the baseand cap can be separated when desired.

Another important feature of the invention resides in the formation ofthe base with grooves for the passage of conductors and in the provisionof means on the cap to engage and press the wires into their respective;grooves as the cap is applied by relative rotation.

Still another feature of the invention resides in the provision ofratchet means on one portion of the socket and of a pawl member in theother portion adapted to lock the parts together permanently when theyare attached by relative rotation.

Other and further features and objects of the invention will be moreapparent to those skilled in. the art upon a consideration of theaccompanying drawing and following specification, wherein is disclosed asingleexemplary embodiment of the invention, with theunderstanding,however, that such changes and modifications may be made therein as fallwithin the scope of the appended claims without departing from thespirit of the invention.

In said drawing:

Figure l is a longitudinal central section through a receptacleconstructed according to the present invention taken on a plane parallelto the direction of the conductors;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1, but taken at right angles to thedirection of the conductors;

Figure 3 is a plan view of the top of the base with the cap removed;

Figure 4 is a bottom plan view of the cap showing the ratchet teeththereon; and

Figure 5 is a section on the arcuate line 5-5 at Fig. i.

For decorative purposes, either temporary or the receptacle between thebase and the cap through which the conductor passes.

These sockets are supplied to the trade in three ways: first, they aresupplied without the conductors and the presumption is that they are tobe used for temporary work; second, they are supplied on the conductorswith various spacings in accordance with requirements, the insulationbeing stripped from the wires during manufacture and the pin terminalsbeing soldered to them, after which a sealing compound is placed overthe stripped portion of the wire and the cap of the socket secured on;third, the sockets are mounted on conductors at specified spacings byallowing the pointed pins to puncture the insulation and the cap is thensecured in place.

In the last two methods of supplying the sockets, the underwriters donot consider that the wiring is temporary and they insist that the capsof the sockets be not removable for safety purposes.

The present invention contemplates the provision of decorative socketswhich comply in all respects with the underwriters requirements andwhich, at the same time, can be used for temporary work. These socketsare preferably made from a molded phenolic condensation product or fromany other desired material having suitable insulating quality and areformed in two parts, a base it] and a cap II 0 which are separated forthe insertion of the conductors and are then attached together inaccordance with the present invention.

The main or base portion it contains a recessed outer end I? into whichare fitted the conventional screw shell and center contacts M and I5,respectively. The rear end of the base ill has a substantially fiat face96 as shown in Fig. 3 which is traversed by a pair of grooves iiparallel to each other and equally spaced on opposite sides of thecenter of the face which is preferably circular. These grooves are of adepth slightly greater than the outside diameter of the conductor suchas it which is to be used with the socket. One of these conductors isadapted to be placed in each of the grooves and for the purpose ofmaking contact between the wire portions thereof and the lamp engagingterminals of the socket, a contact pin extends into each groove fromnear the center of the length thereof projecting upwardly from thebottom. As seen in Fig. 3, these pins, numbered 20 and II, are formed bypointing the ends of connector screws 22 and 23 which pass through theinsulating material of the base between the bottom of the groove and thebottom of the recess If. The screw 22 passes through and secures inposition the center contact I! while the screw 23 passes through a yoke24 which engages against the bottom of the screw shell contact andsecures it in position. Each of the screws is received into a suitablenut 25, 20, recessed in the bottom of the respective grooves.

A screw II extends upwardly from the rear face of the base member andhas a non-circular head ll sunk in a correspondingly shaped recessbeneath the center contact I! so that the screw cannot be rotated. It isheld in position in the base by a nut ii and can only be removed by theremoval of this nut. It projects a considerable distance beyond the rearface and is adapted to be engaged by a blind threaded opening I! in thecap II.

The cap II is slightly greater in diameter than the base and is providedwith the knurled rim 33 for ease in applying and removing. It has aperipheral border 34 which engages against the outer edge of the face I6and closes this face against the entrance of foreign matter. It isprovided with a concentric depending skirt 3!, the diameter of which issuch that it passes near the center of each of the grooves H, as seen inFig. 2, when the cap is mounted on the base. In order to accommodate theskirt between the grooves, the arcuate channels 38 are formed in therear face of the base, as seen in Fig. 3. The purpose of this skirt isto reach down into the conductor grooves and to press the conductorstightly onto the pins to ensure puncturing of the insulation and tomaintain a suitable electrical contact between the conductors and theterminal pins. By having the conductor grooves entirely in the baseinstead of partially in the cap, the cap can be applied to the base byrelative rotation of the two parts to thus be secured by the screw 2|and at the same time adequate pressure can be applied to the conductorsto make good contact.

To comply with the underwriters requirement, means is provided toprevent the removal of the cap. For this purpose the cap, between theborder 34 and the skirt 35, is provided with a circular channel 40, thebottom of which is moulded into the form of ratchet teeth ll, as seen inFigs. 4 and 5.

To engage with the ratchet teeth there is a pawl 48 which comprises anupturned end on the spring member 41 which fits loosely in the recessll, in the face l6 of the base, between the conductor grooves. Thisspring is perforated to fit over the central screw 28 and has its centerportion depresed as at 48 to rest on the nut ii. The end opposite thepawl is flat and is adapted to be engaged by the skirt 35, as seen inFig. l, to press the pawl end upwardly and ensure cooperation betweenthe pawl and the ratchet teeth. As the cap is applied by threading itonto the screw 2', the teeth are engaged by the pawl and the cap ispermanently locked in position, for

. the pawl is not available to any tool and the center screw cannot beremoved, as previously stated,

except by removing the nut 8| which is now covered by the cap.

The pawl spring is only loosely mounted in the recess provided for thepurpose and when the socket is delivered is reversed in this recess sothat the pawl faces downward and cannot be eifective to lock the cap tothe base. This permits the assembly of the three parts for shipmentwithout the possibility of locking them together. If it is desired touse the receptacle without the locking feature, the pawl spring ismerely discarded or left reversed and reliance is placed on screwing thecap tightly in position to maintain it there.

The invention, of course, is not limited to the exact structure oflocking means. but it is the intent in the claims to cover broadly theuse of means which automatically lock the socket parts together as thecap is applied by a relative rotation of the two parts.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new and desiredto be secured by Letters Patent is:

1. In a lamp socket, in combination, an insulation body portion havinglamp base engaging contacts in a recess in one end thereof, the oppositeend of the base being substantially flat, said end being provided with apair of parallel grooves spaced on opposite sides of the center andadapted to receive conductors, a pin terminal in each groove at thebottom thereof, a cap to cover said end and grooves, one of said partshaving a centrally mounted screw permanently secured therein, a threadedhole in the other part to cooperate therewith, means on said cap toextend into said grooves as the parts are relatively rotated to bejoined together to press conductors onto the terminals, and a removablelocking element between the cap and body and between the conductorgrooves.

2. In a lamp socket, in combination, an insulation body portion havinglamp base engaging contacts in a recess in one end thereof, the oppositeend of the base being substantially flat, said end being provided with apair of parallel grooves spaced on opposite sides of the center andadapted to receive conductors, a pin terminal in each groove at thebottom thereof, a cap to cover said end and grooves. one of said partshaving a centrally mounted screw permanently secured therein, a threadedhole in the other part to cooperate therewith, a ratchet on one of saidparts. and a pawl carried by the other to lock the part against removalafter assembly.

3. In a lamp socket, in combination, an insulation body portion havinglamp base engaging contacts in a recess in one end thereof, the

.opposite end of the base being substantially flat, said end beingprovided with a pair of parallel grooves spaced on opposite sides of thecenter and adapted to receive conductors, a pin terminal in each grooveat the bottom thereof, a

cap to cover said end and grooves, one of said parts having a centrallymounted screw permanently secured therein, a threaded hole in the otherpart to cooperate therewith, a ratchet on one of said parts, a pawlmounted over said screw, and means on the other part to prevent rotationof the pawl in respect thereto.

4. In a lamp socket, in combination, an insulation body portion havinglamp base engaging contacts in a recess in one end thereof, the oppositeend of the base being substantially flat, said end being provided with apair of parallel grooves spaced on opposite sides of the center andadapted to receive conductors, a pin terminal in each groove at thebottom thereof, a cap to cover saidend and grooves, one of said partshaving a centrally mounted screw permanently secured therein, a threadedhole in the other part' to cooperate therewith, said base end having adiametrically disposed recess therein between said grooves, a spring insaid recess having an end projecting above the base end and means onsaid cap engageable by said spring to prevent unscrewing of the parts.

5. In a lamp socket, in combination, a body portion having lampcontacts, the opposite end of the base being substantially flat andhaving a pair of parallel, conductor-receiving grooves spaced onopposite sides of the center thereof, a pin terminal in each groove, arecess in said end between said grooves, a screw projecting from thebottom of said recess and permanently secured in said body, a metalstrap in said recess with the screw passing loosely therethrough, oneend of said strap extending beyond the race of the end, a cap for saidend threaded to be received on said screw and a ratchet annulus on saidcap to cooperate with the said end of said strap to lock the cap on thebody.

6. In a lamp socket, in combination, a body portion having lampcontacts, the opposite end of the base being substantially flat andhaving a pair of parallel, conductor-receiving grooves spaced onopposite sides of the center thereof, a pin terminal in each groove, arecess in said end between said grooves, a screw projecting from thebottom of said recess and permanently secured in said body, a metalstrap in said recess with the screw passing loosely therethrough, oneend of said strap extending beyond the face of the end, a cap for saidend threaded to be received on said screw, a ratchet annulus on said capto cooperate with the said end of said strap to lock the cap on thebody, and an annulus on said cap received in each groove over the pinsto press the conductors into engagement therewith.

'7. In a lamp socket, in combination, a body portion having lampcontacts, the opposite end of the base being substantially fiat andhaving a pair of parallel, conductor-receiving grooves spaced onopposite sides of the center thereof, a pin terminal in each groove, arecess in said end between said grooves, a screw projecting from thebottom of said recess and permanently secured in said body, a metalstrap in said recess with the screw passing loosely therethrough, oneend of said strap extending beyond the face of the end, a cap for saidend threaded to be received on said screw, a ratchet annulus on said capto cooperate with the said end of said strap to lock the cap on thebody, an annulus on said cap received in each groove over the pins topress the conductors into engagement therewith, said annulus alsobearing on the opposite end of said strap to maintain the firstmentioned end in engagement with the ratchet.

JOHN W. BROOKS. MARK N. RUSSELL.

